Rhetorics

9. Madara's request (Hashirama)

"Hi."

I wasn't even surprised.

"Hi", I said to the black-haired man who had come to sit at my guest table in parliament. With two weeks before Christmas there were a lot of meetings and speeches to be held before the elections after the New Years. And I was invited as a guest speaker once more.

Madara sat with his arms crossed in that way of his. It was our first interaction since the Christmas party. I had been drunk, but not drunk enough to not remember what had happened.

Or to regret it.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"No", I said. "You?"

"I'm not speaking today."

"They weren't happy with you?"

"You wish", he smirked. "I asked for a day off for myself. Wanted to listen and learn."

"Listen and learn from the expert", I said, leaning forwards on the table. I might've mistaken, but I believe he leaned forwards the tiniest, tiniest bit as well.

"That's actually what I meant", he said. "You're the only one better than me."

I was taken aback. "You think I'm better?" Shit, I shouldn't have said that. What was it with this man who made my mouth act on its own accord?

But Uchiha didn't seem to have noticed. "Yeah", he said. "Clearly."

"I hope you'll enjoy the show then", I said with a smile.

"You better not disappoint", he said, his mouth curling in a crooked smile. He wore a white shirt today, I noticed, and has taken his suit jacket off. He hopped off my table, went to his seat behind me and slung his suit over his shoulders, putting his glasses on before looking down on his papers. I turned to the front again when I realised I was staring at him.

I went up to speak. I had decided to try and speak more boldly, and so I did. I actually stole some glances at the TV cameras at some points, but as opposed to Uchiha, who made people behind the camera feel seen, I made sure to imprint something else entirely; I know you're there, and don't you dare turn your attention away from me.

I knew my speech was risky. I talked a lot more about the culture of immigrants, pointing to evidence that the majority did not adapt to ours. I played on the listeners emotions by painting up a scenario where we would have to flee our country to live in theirs.

"Would you just give in to their culture? Oppress women, marry your daughters away? No, you wouldn't. So why would we expect any different from them? We know we're right, yes. But they believe they're right the same way we do. How do we change that? It might not be impossible. But it is difficult enough that it's not worth our time and resources."

The end was open for questions. It was more of an open invitation, really, like the priest at a wedding asking the guests to object now, or forever remain silent; nobody ever asked anything. But this time, Uchiha pressed a button, a lamp on the map of the seats behind me on the wall of the podium lightning up, indicating he would like to speak. A whirl went through the parliament.

"Yes", the chairman said. "Madara Uchiha. You may speak."

"Question for Mr Senju", he said, adjusting his glasses, looking down on his papers. I could swear I saw a little smirk on his face. "You say immigrants are not worth the time or resources. Yet your party is a one-question party who spend the majority of their time and resources on this one question you so strongly do not want to put time or resources on." He put his fingertips together and looked up at me over his glasses. Far-sighted. He needs glasses to read. Unusual for his young age. "How come?"

I was taken aback by his question, but refused to let it show. I was looking directly at him when answering.

"We deem it worthwhile to put resources on it now, to prevent even higher costs in the future. Me and my party believe it's important to put resources into the immigration question at an early stage to prevent them from blowing up and eat up more of our already strained economy in the future. It will benefit the economy long-term."

"I see", he said and looked down. His voice really was raspy, and deep. Suited him. "And have you done such a cost analysis?"

Fuck.

I promised myself to punish him harshly for this.

"Last year, the cost of immigration increases by fifty percent as compared to last year", I said. "The trend shows it will cost even more to us year. The cost of my party's immigration politics remains the same."

"I see", Madara said again, seemingly unimpressed. "I suggest you do a cost analysis by the beginning of the year. That is all. Thank you."

I was infuriated. He had given himself the last word without even giving me a chance to defend myself. With a blank face, I went back to my seat and sat out the rest of the hours. I was still infuriated as I packed my laptop down.

"Hi."

For some reason, I had not expected him to come to me after his questions.

"Hi", I said. It was our way of greeting each other now, I guessed. He said hi, I said hi.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" I retorted

He looked up, removed his glasses, put them to his lips as he thought deeply.

"No", he concluded. "I guess not."

"Then don't waste your breath."

"Ahh, so you are mad." He grinned in pure glee. I realised he thought this was bliss; having provoked emotions in Hashirama Senju of the right. 

"Have a nice day, Madara", I said and stood up.

"Not yet", he said, pinning me down with his gaze. For some reason, it didn't bother me that much that he was looking down on me from his position. "I want to ask you a favour." I frowned. He did not wait for my approval to continue, which I understood; it was already a vulnerable moment for him to ask a favour. "I want you to train me."

I was taken aback "Train you?"

"Yes. In rhetorics."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. "Me? Train you? But you're exceptional!" Ahhh, fuck, I shouldn't have said that.

He looked away, seemingly a bit irritated. "Don't humiliate me more than you need to, Senju. You're better than me. Far better. I want you to train me."

"Why would I train a political enemy?"

He turned to me. "I'm not asking you to train me as your political enemy. I'm asking you to train me as your friend."

I kept his gaze. I thought about how I'd wanted to punish him for pinning me down with his questions earlier. "And what makes you believe I don't train you wrongly? So that you become worse, for the gain of my own?"

"You won't", he said simply. "You're too honest. Despite, I'm not stupid. If you try to trick me, I will notice."

He had a point.

Guess I will punish you by...

"Gentlemen." We looked up. A guard had come to our table. "Please. We need to close down."

Madara stood up and walked away without looking at me. I finished packing my laptop. But before I packed down my notebook and ink pen, I tore a paper out and wrote the address of Samsung's office in the city on it.

Tomorrow at 5 pm. I will meet you in the lobby after work.

I walked to the exit where a group of people were waiting to walk out of the big main doors. Madara stood at the back of the queue. I discretely handed him the note by pushing it into his palm.

His long fingers immediately grabbed around it, the crumbling sound of received paper soft in his palm.